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The Mobility Project

Whatever you focus on, expands. Like this document.

Change Log (Current version: v1.0)
  • 1.1: Added my latest Dynamic Mobility Warmup Videos to my section at the bottom. This was a big release.
  • 1.0: It is now February 9, 2016 and I deem this version to be v1.0.
  • 0.9: Ugh, you don’t even knowwww.
  • Started this around Summer of 2015.

Backlog/To do list:

What is Mobility? (Click here to expand)

Mobility has multiple definitions depending on who you’re talking to.  Some people just refer it to the amount of range of motion (ROM) your joints have. But to me, mobility is not only about passive flexibility, but about flexibility, strength AND control in the full range of motion. That’s my favorite definition of it and I utilize these concepts and intertwine them in my personal training because I like to take a more active/conscious approach to flexibility.  I love this stuff because I wholeheartedly enjoy limbering up (loosening up just for feeling good) and increasing my movement-repertoire through fun/novel ways of using the flexibility that I have. When I combine it with yoga, I link the breath with movement which increases my mindfulness and helps me get better in tune with my true self.

Dewey Nielsen

Click here to see Dewey

Dewey Nielsen has several YouTube videos with extremely clear progressions mated to folk music. He demonstrates simple things like the squat and the ’90/90′ and how to move in/out of them and how to stand up from the floor without using your hands. As someone who worked in a hospital and was in charge of reducing fall-risk, I’m very big on helping people to increase their balance or to learn how to get up without using their hands because I have often seen people becoming SO disabled, handicapped and immobile that they cannot stand up from the floor. (I think about the ever increasing geriatric population a lot.)

Also, FWIW, Dewey Nielsen works together with Dr. Spina which is very important to know because his writings make for great educational reading material so be sure to read everything he writes as well.

GMB

Click here to watch GMB

GMB has a lot of great content related to bodyweight exercises and plenty of good resources in regards to flexibility/mobility stuff. Ryan Hurst is featured in most of them and is a total G.

One of their best videos is the one on Wrist Preparation for Handstands:

  • GMB Programs I recommend
    • Focused Flexibility If you want something where you are just told what stretches to do for each day of the week without having to overthink, then you’ll like this a lot.
    • Elements. This is one of the funnest programs that GMB has. It will help you increase strength, flexibility and motor control using “animal” movements (aka “locomotive” stuff). This is the fun stuff that will help you create your own improvisational flow on the ground. For example, this Bear to Bear Transition. Also relevant is this video: Exploring Flexibility in Quadrupedal Locomotion.

GMB Fitness

Kit Laughlin

Click here to see Kits stuff
kit-laughlin
Kit Laughlin is THE MAN. The most calming, soothing, chill man. Treasure trove below.

If you want to learn more from Kit Laughlin, you could buy his videos on demand. His programs are extremely thorough and highly affordable.  Each “master” series is only $15 and comes with something like 12-18 different videos! And no, I’m not being paid to say this and I won’t make any money if you buy them.

Emmet Louis

Click here to watch Emmet

Emmet Louis is one of the smartest coaches I know and he has a bunch of videos on his YouTube channel. The video I feature here is one of the best on moving your joints through their full rotations. This is something you could do every morning upon waking.

Notable Blog Posts

“Emmets Blackboard” are educational lectures

General Mobility Stuff

Handstand-Related

Ankles

Bridge-Related

Side Splits (Horse Stance)

Hamstrings / Forward Folding

Kelly Starrett

For a compilation of K-Stars stuff, refer to: MobilityWOD videos organized by muscle, body part and exercise

Ido Portal

For a compilation of Ido Portals’ stuff, refer to The Floreio Project.

Glenn Pendlay (Olympic Weightlifting Related)

Click here to watch Glenn

Glenn Pendlay is a coach for high-level athletes and he’s got some videos about helping you get better positioning.

  • Lower Body Flexibility for Weightlfting
    • Barbell on Knees: For achieving a good bottom position in a squat, front squat, clean or snatch.
  • Upper Body Flexibility for Olympic Weightlifting
    • Stick Dislocates: For increasing the shoulder flexibility for the front rack position, requires dowel or barbell.
    • Rack position in the clean: Get in rack position with elevated bar, have a partner help push the elbows up. Instead of holding a barbell i could just go to one of those low-ish pull up bars

Andreo Spina

Intro/Info

Dr. Andreo Spina is an international speaker on the topics of joint health, movement and mobility development, sports performance, and injury management. His strong academic background and clinical experience in combination for his personal love for BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which is like chess with anatomy) and helping others move better has fueled the creation of his Functional Range Release® soft tissue management system and the Functional Range Conditioning® mobility development system. He has a ton of free resources out on the internet, and they are scattered about on his website, YouTube channel and Instagram.

As you could see, these are all registered trademarks and so I am only limited to what I can say but luckily for us, he and his students regularly release stuff publicly which I can feature. Note:  FRC® is not just a bunch of random “exercises.” It is a massive system with progressions and prerequisites that I cannot and will not cover. Dr. Spina says the word “prerequisite” might be the least utilized word or concept in the fitness world. I agree and that is why I utilize prerequisites in my own rings routine to help keep you safe.

If you want to get the full picture of FRC®, you must attend one of his seminars and register early because they all sell out. If you’re a mindful enough mover and have a keen understanding of anatomy and think in terms of progressions/regressions already, you’ll probably find this all very helpful.  I urge you to listen to all his podcast interviews and READ the articles and READ the descriptions in all the posts because they are full of great information.

Individual Joint Mobility / Rotations (CARs)
Far too often people are focused on training complex movement patterns before they even have the necessary independent joint functions needed to perform them. -Andreo Spina (Source)

CARs are active, rotational movements at the outer limits of articular motion and are helpful for expanding and sculpting the outer ranges of motion. One of the things Andreo Spina recommends is to perform CARs as one of the first things you do when you wake up to move your joints in their full range of motion, so that you maintain the range that you currently have and keep the joint healthy. He talks about this in detail in the video below.

Shoulder Stuff

Hip Stuff

The ‘ hip opening mobility’ sequence videos below helps acquaint you with some of the basic hip positions he uses and how he transitions in and out with control. I like this one because he goes into the 90/90 and Bear Sit and Internally Rotates in the Deep Squat, then goes into the Cricket squat and back to the 90/90.

This one below puts more emphasis and nicer cues on the 90/90 and Bear Sit:

Feet

One of the most detailed videos on intrinsic foot strengthening. The stuff in the video below is all important to master before doing any barefoot-walking or barefoot hiking.

  • Beginner (4min):
    • Lift only the big toe up while the other four stay on the ground
    • Press the big toe down into the ground while you lift the other four. (5:00)
      • If you cannot do these, then hold them down with your fingers.
    • Adduction of toes (bringing the toes to the midline; together, 6:30)
      • Squeeze toes together without flexion (keeping them straight, not curling)
      • If you cannot do this, put a pen between each toe (one at a time) and try to not let the pen go in any direction.
    • Extend all toes (keeping metatarsal heads down) and plant them one at a time.
    • Towel crunch progressions (9:00)
      • Start with crunching only lateral 4 toes first, then crunch with big toes
      • Weighted: Place weight on towel away from foot, and repeat exercises.
  • Once we have a baseline strength for feet, we could take things further (10:20).
  • In a Deep Squat, instead of leaning your torso, use the muscles of your feet and lower leg to help move you in a circle in a deep squat.
  • Intermediate (12:30)
    • Calf raises OFF the toes. (12:45)
    • Big toe raises
    • Forward Lean Exercise (13:30, Only done as an Eccentric to Isometric exercise until you have enough strength to do it concentrically)
      • Start with far away from the wall. Keep knees straight and lean forward in a controlled fashion.  When you get to the wall, push yourself back with control.
Passive Range Lift Offs and Holds

Pretty self-explanatory.

Complex/Advanced Movements (IsoMP's)
“Isometric Movement Paths (IsoMP) represent the advanced stages of the FRC® system. IsoMP training is prescribed only when the prerequisite mobility requirements are met for each articulation involved in the path (or pattern). -Andreo Spina” (Source)
Notable Articles/Podcasts

Articles

“Assessment -> Treatment -> Rehab -> FRC® -> Training”

Podcasts where Dr. Andreo Spina was interviewed

After you listen to a few of them you might notice that the same concepts are explained over and over, so you will get a nice grasp. A few of them talk about the same concepts repeatedly, but they are good nonetheless.  I mean, he spends over a dozen hours talking about the science behind his system in a weekend seminar, so I don’t mind listening to every single thing he says in these free interviews.

Other/Uncategorized

Knee

Wrist

Upper Back

Ankles

  • Single Leg Ankle CARs
    • Top left: Front to back plantar/dorsiflexion
    • Top right: Side to side ankle movements
    • Bottom: Single leg weighted ankle CARs

Manipulations/Joint-Lock Mobs

These serve specific purposes. Do not try these if you are not a medical professional. If you want to learn more, you may want to be interested in his Functional Range Release® seminars. Otherwise, “for informational purposes only.”

Antranik’s Stuff

Click here to see me

Well, since this is my website, I might as well organize some of my stuff too, ey? Yeah, here goes.

Hope that helps! Is there anybody else who has good info that you think I should organize? How could I help make this resource more helpful? Please leave a comment below!

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